Am I stupid to spend $2k on a polyester dress?

eagopian

I'm having a real dilemma here: I tried on a dress that looks great (Pronovias Mercadal) and could be the one, but I can't wrap my mind around spending almost $2000 on 100 percent polyester. My friends say I'm crazy, that it looks good, and who at the wedding is going to know (or care) what fabric I'm wearing? They even thought it was silk dupioni, until I saw the label. I agree that no one will know and it looks great, but I somehow feel like I'm being duped. Am I being crazy? A dress in all silk (or at least silk on the top layer) would probably be another $1000 or so. Is it worth it? I don't think so, but I still can't shake that nagging feeling... thoughts?

jagore08

Do you love the dress and is it in your price range?  If yes, then it shouldn't matter what it's made of (as long as it doesn't give you hives).  If it's out of your price then you should look for similar styles by a different designer or maybe look into purchasing a sample.

LoriAH11

I can see what you're saying. If a dress looked like silk dupioni (which is one of my faves) and I realized I was paying the price for it and not getting it, that would bother me. I would feel like someone was trying to pull the wool (or polyester in this case) over my eyes.

However, if it is the dress you love and it is a price you're willing to pay, then go for it. But I'd probably look around and see if there is something you love just as much in that price range and that isn't poorer quality material in disguise.

AbbeyS2011

Polyester today is not the 70's polyester.  It can be made to mimic more expensive fabrics, such as silk dupioni.  No, I do not think you are crazy if you really like the gown, and it is within your budget for your dress.  Also, polyester is easier to clean than silk if you do happen to get a stain on it.

LoriAH11

Paloma Blanca has some gorgeous dresses in silk dupioni by the way if you haven't check out any of that line. The one I came super close to getting was, I believe, $1700 retail but they had a sample for $1100. So his are right around that same price range.

schadbourne

polyester is in everything these days.....which makes it hard for me

....because i am allergic  to polyester it does give me hives!!

polyester is plastic and that is why usually it is cheaper and not as smooth/soft to the touch

If you are in  love with the dress and it is the one, then yes buy it no one will know it is polyester unless you tell them, most people dont even know real silk anymore, most of it is at least half polyester

Moneypenny424

And you're sure that the tag showed the makeup of the outside of the dress and not the lining?  I'm a big fan of natural fibers, so I probably wouldn't get a polyester dress (they make me sweat more), but if you loke it, go for it.

VictoriaE1

I just had my final fitting and dress is a pronovias. I can tell you that my dress is definitly silk. The guy fitting my dress said it was dupioni silk. I know this because I had a paper cut on my finger and got a spot of blood on the front of my dress. He said the only way to get blood out of silk was with your own salivia. Interesting.

flamingtwig72

I wouldn't do it. I try to avoid polyester in my normal wardrobe, so for my wedding, I would never wear it. Also, it doesn't breathe, it's more stiff and uncomfortable, and usually, in pictures, you can tell a difference between silk and poly (this goes for the veil, too). I'd suggest finding another dress that looks similar but is made of silk. It may cost more, but even buying a pre-owned dress would be better than spending so much on something synthetic.

eagopian

Thank you, ladies! The more I think about it, the more convinced I am that I should continue my search for something that at least has natural fibers on top. The dress did make me hot in the dressing room. And it was definitely the outer layers that were 100 percent polyester. There was a separate label for the linine which, of course, was also 100 percent polyester.

I'm more willing to consider going a little higher in my budget because I'm realizing this is important to me, primarily for my own comfort, but also because I want to feel like I'm getting more for my hard-earned money.

Thanks for the sage advice!

golgoli

I have bought the Pronovias Mercadal dress. I had hard time deciding the fabric too. They told me that it comes either in taffeta or in silk, but silk was double the price and honestly I could not tell the difference, but now that you are mentioning the sweating Im starting to wonder if I made the right decision buying the taffeta. I looked up taffeta online and it is not always synthetic. Actually it is a nice fabric for wedding dresses and most of the time it is partly from silk. I even looked at the very expensive barnds wedding dresses  and they also make dresses in taffeta for $8000 and above, so it can not be a cheap fabric. Your post has made me very anxious. Are you sure it was taffeta that made you hot and sweaty? Should I change my order to silk?

mica178

I prefer natural fibers, but the dress I fell in love with was satin (it was a La Sposa).  It wasn't that hot and sweaty in the dress any more than it would have been in silk.  I just couldn't find a dress I loved in natural fibers, and believe me, I tried!

pharmd2323

I'm having the exact same problem! I've been to every single dress shop in my area and found THE dress. Mom and I were ready to purchase, and then the 100% polyester label came out. My mom knows nice fabrics and wants me to look around more. Although, that would mean driving to the next city over just to look. When you know it's your dress, what do you do? I don't want to be sweating all through my wedding, but I want to wear the dress I know is the one. I'm going to ask the store if they can order it in silk taffeta instead of the polyester taffeta it's made of now and hopefully it'll be something the designer is willing to do. If it's not, I have no idea what I'm going to do - I'm ready to buy the dress regardless, it feels like!